Apparatus for molding tire flaps



Jan. W, 11950 H w. HUFF APPARATUS FQR MOLDING TIRE FLAPS 4 Sheets-Sheet l FiledApril l5, 194$ N v ENTOR HOWARD W. HUFF ATTORNEYS Jan. 17, 1950 H. w. HUFF APPARATUS FOR MOLDING TIRE FLAPS 4 Sheets-:Sheet 2 Filed April l5 1946 N v E N T o R HOWARD W. HUFF A -r "r o R N E. vs

Jan. 17, 1950 H. w. HUFF APPARATUS FOR MOLDING TIRE FLAPS S R Y 5 O %E W a M w NH JI.O m N e I T e q u m A 4 Y H B m n 9 2 u R-- n 1 v v 1 r: l r m d 6 ll. 1 i F Jan. H7, 1950 H. w. HUFF APPARATUS FOR MOLDING TIRE FLAPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 15, 1946 Q S Q mm Q Q mm mm R s m w m N U j N E H R V w /W/ m N D %V R v M S O H .ob

Patented Jan. 17, 1950 UNITED Q'YEFTCE- APPARATUS FOR'MOLDING TIRE FLAPS Application-April 15, 1946; Serial No. 662 227 3.Glaims.

This invention relates to molding devices, and. more especially it relates to heating and 'vulcanize ing presseszior annular articles composed oi vulcanizable material.

The embodiment of the invention herein shown and described; solely for illustrative purposes, is designed for the. molding. and vulcanizing, of tire flaps, especially heavy, large .sizetire flaps, such as .are employedwithinheavy truck-tires between the inner tube of. the tireand the rimonwhich the tire is mounted. Tire 'iiapsof the characterr mentioned: usually are. composedof i an inferiorgrade of-rubber composition, such as rag stock, and are covered with'textile material; hence the flaps have a substantial amount of-fiexibility, but: little if any elasticity; The-flaps areendless, and each is-so shaped'in section as'to define a circumferential groove in the periphery thereof; The-thickness of the flap is substantially uniform throughout except at the lateral 1 margins there-- of where it tapers to a fine edge; Theshapeof: the flaps is such that'theyv require to be molded" in a mold groove thatisshapedpomplementaltothe shape of their: inner circumferential face.- Because of the substantially, inelasticcharacter of the composition of-whichtheflaps are composed, great difficulty heretoforevhas been-encountered in mounting the unvulcanized flapsein an endless molding groove; and in the subsequentremoval of? the vulcanizedflapsfrom said groove. 117182170 the. relief of this condition that thisinventionpri marily is directed.

The chief objects. of :the'invention areto pro.- vide in an improved manner:for thernoldingend: vulcanizing of endless tireflapsofzthe characterv mentioned; to provide an improved molding press for tire flaps; .to provide: a moldingpress vfor: tire. flaps wherein the latter do not require. to." be stretched, either in the mountingor the removal thereof; and in. general to effect economiesmf: time and labor in the productionof tire. flaps. Other objects will bemanifest as the description proceeds.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a molding device embodying the invention, in closed. or operative condition, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is'a plan view thereof; theopen'position of one of the elements thereof beingiindicated'in" broken lines;

Fig. 3 is central vertical'section of the device on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a .front'aelevation of the deviceinits fully open, inoperative condition, parts: beings broken away.

Referring .nowrto: the drawings, thereais shown a-molding device .comprising an .uprightrpedestal or standard? IB"; and projecting forwardly-there from, snbstantiallyat the top :thereof; is anonrot'ative'shaft ortspindle-H; the-latter extending. through .thestandard and 1 secured. =in place -by a nut iTthl'eaddfllpOIlFitS rear end-portion. The spindle. II supports an annular, hollow: molding element :I 3 that constitutes a stationaryorflxedly positioned rear portion of asectional tire-flapvulcanizing mold, said molding elementicomprise ing a=hubportion M that is heyed to thespindle Ii andretained thereon by a=nut I5. The-hollow portion of the molding: element; I 3; constitutes a steam chamber It to whichheating fluid may be admittedzby.anysuitable connections, such as thesteanrinlet pipev IB'aand outlet2pipe Ifib, to sup-.- ply heat to a tire: flap, to be vulcanized. The work? receiving portion 0I m01ding1 surface of the' mol'ding element I 3.:is on the periphery thereof and .isdesignated: I H; Said molding surface: is: cylindrical atztheifront, and flares or inclines 'rearwardly and radially outwardly at the rear thereof; A tire flap such as-is vulcanized in the-'device isshown at I8; the :arrangement-bei-n'g-such that themedial regionand one of the-sideiportions or. wings-ofrthe tire flap are received on the-molding surface I'I.v

For: effecting the moldingand vulcanization of the. other-side-portion -or wing of thetire flap- I 8,: the vulcaniz'ingr' mold: is provided with a removable annularfront portion 2.0, which; portion is hollow to provide a steam chamber: 2L and. is formed with aperipheral molding surfaceZZ that iswcontiguous with thecylindrical region of :moldsurfacesl i butis sloped reversely with relationrto. the flared portion of i said surf ace I I; said surf aces: I1; 22 constituting azmolding groove. withoutwardlydivergentsides: The-steam chamber '24 is.- supplied with heating fluidin the-usual manner. by a steaininletpipe 21a and outlet pipeZIb.

The." front mold element 20 is formed with Ian ax'ialhub 24. to which it is-connected by radial arms-25: Extendinaaxially through said hub: =24 isva'stud .01 pin 2fiethat is-carried :by a' hinge that comprises a pair of angular arms.2.1, andiwhich supports'said moldelement. The hubiu is'reetainedon pin ZSuby a- .flan-ge or head:28 formed on the projecting end of the latter, said .pin being; of 1 such length BS1130 enable. the; hub 2 4' to e have: appreciable. movement. relatively thereof! in': an axial direction; Rota/T5 50!" angular mcvementwof the hub 24=on1the pin zficisprevented byra key-29a The hingearms 2! areapivo-tally; mountediu-pon respective hinge pins; 29: at one side I of' the ap.--

paratus and rearwardly of the front mold element 20, said hinge pins being carried in an up er hinge bracket 36 and a lower hinge bracket 3|. Said brackets are mounted upon and project forwardly from a hinge standard 32 that is positioned beside the main standard ID. The arrangement is such that the mold element 26 may be swung from the closed position shown in Figs. 1 to 3 to an open position well beyond that shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. The steam pipes 2la, 2lb are arranged to swing with the mold element 26.

In order that the mold element 20 may be forced tightly in juxtaposition with mold element [3 in the closed or operative condition of the mold, a plurality of clamping bolts 35, 35, herein shown as three in number, are pivotally mounted in respective pairs of cars 36 formed on the front wall of the rear mold element l3, said clamping bolts being swingable into parallelism with the axis of the vulcanizing mold, in which position they are received in respective open-end slots in formations 31 on the inner circumference of the mold element 20. The free ends of the bolts 35 are threaded to receive respective manually operated clamp nuts 38, which when set up tightly against said formations 31, force the mold element 20 axially into close engagement with mold element l3, such movement of the mold section being possible by reason of the sliding arrangement of the hub 24 of the mold element upon its supporting pin 26.

For pressing a tire flap I8 firmly into the molding groove constituted by the molding surfaces 11, 22, an expansible curing bag of rubber is provided, said bag consisting of two identical semicircular sections 40, 40. The sections 40 are hollow, and are trapezoidal in transverse section with their inner and outer circumferential surfaces concentric with their respective axes, the concave side of each section being narrower than the convex side thereof. The respective end faces of the sections are flat and radially disposed. The arrangement is such that when said end faces are in juxtaposition the bag sections define a full circle that is adapted to circumscribe the molding element 13 and engage the work (the tire fiap l8) mounted upon the periphery thereof, the trapezoidal shape of the sections enabling them to enter the molding groove defined by the molding surfaces I1, 22.

The curing bags 40 are mounted in and carried by respective semi-circular bag holders 42, 43, said curing bags being located on the concave side of said holders. Said holders 42, 43 are mounted for movement between the open inoperative position shown in Fig. 4, and the closed operative position shown in Fig. 1. In the latter position the end faces of the holders abut each other in a vertical plane, the latter disposed diametrically of the device. Adjacent its lower end the holder 43 is formed on its periphery with a plurality of apertured ears 44 that are pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 45 that is carried by a bracket 46, the latter being secured to the front face of the standard I by cap screws 41, the bracket being adjustable vertically by means of an adjusting screw 48. Adjacent its lower end the bag holder 42 is formed with a plurality of apertured ears 49 that are pivotally connected to the ears 44 of holder 43 by means of a pivot pin 50. The arrangement enables the bag holders, 42, 43 to be swung in their own plane from and toward each other. Means for so moving the bag holders presently will be described.

When the bag holders are swung toward each other, in the closed position of the vulcanizer shown in Fig. 1, their free, upper ends may be locked together, and for this purpose a lug 52 is mounted upon the periphery of holder 43 adjacent its free end, said lug formed with a concave cam-receiving surface 53. The free end portion of the bag holder 42 also is formed with a peripheral lug 54 to which is pivotally connected a pair of parallel spaced-apart links 55, 55, that carry a manually operated cam 56 that is pivotally mounted between the free ends of said links. The arrangement is such that when the bag holders 42, 43 are in the closed position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the cam 56 may be manipulated into the cam-receiving surface 53 and turned angularly to draw the free ends of bag holders 42, 43 toward each other and lock them in closed position.

The bag holders 42, 43 are composite structures, each of which comprises rings 58, 58 at the respective lateral margins thereof, and side plates 59, 59 disposed in juxtaposition to said rings 58, the latter and the side plates being secured to the bag holders by cap screws 68. The inside diameter of the rings 58 is such that they bear upon the peripheral surfaces of greatest diameter of the mold member l3 and mold portion 20 in the closed position of the bag holders. The side plates 59 are of smaller inside radius than the rings 58 and telescope over the aforesaid mold structures in the closed position of the bag holders, as is best shown in Fig. 3, thereby assisting in preventing separation of the mold structure as the result of pressure in the curing bags 40. The bag holders 42, 43 are each divided into sections of about extent, which sections are pivotally connected to each other by respective pairs of links 62, 62. Preferably the main body structure and the rings 58 of each bag holder are divided at a point that is somewhat offset from the line of division of side plates 59 as is best shown in Fig. 1 wherein 63 shows the division between said side plates and 64 indicates the division between the main body structure of the holder and the rings 58. The confronting end portions of the respective sections of each bag holder 42, 43 are provided on the periphery thereof with respective brackets 66, 61. Mounted on each bracket 61 is a headed stud 68 that extends upwardly through an aperture in bracket 66, there being a compression spring 69 mounted upon said stud between the head thereof and the top of bracket 66. A stud l0 threaded through bracket 66 and engaging bracket 61 limits movement of the brackets relatively of each other under impetus of spring 69. The arrangement is such as to provide a modicum of flexibility to the bag holders which facilitates the closing of the latter in a manner that obviates engagement of the pressure bag 40 with the Work I8 before the bag holders are substantially closed, whereby drag on the work with resulting distortion thereof is avoided.

As previously stated, the two sections of the pressure bag 40 are carried by the bag holders 42, 43, the perimeters of the bag sections abutting the inner circumferential faces of the main body portions of the holders, the radially outermost lateral portions of the bags abutting the rings 58 of the holders. The pressure bag 46 is arranged to be heated and distended by fluid under pressure, such as steam or hot water, and to this end each bag-section is provided with a filling stem =shown) :tractionof the 'said stems. and thereby retains .the bagsections in place :in':their respective holders. Suitable flexible conduits (not shown) are connected to the stems 12 for delivering pressure fluid thereto from a suitable source (not the spindle I, said valve beingprovided with a rotatable oper-atingshaft I6 that-is journ'aled-in ithe spin'dle H and-extends axially therethrough and is provided with an operating handle 71 at the frontend of said spindle. In the closed con- 'ditionpf thedevice the handle -TI is accessible through thespokes orarms 25 of the front mold element '20.

"For moving the bag holders 42, '43 between the clo'sed'position of the'device shown in Fig. '1 and the open position shown in Fig. 4, suitable power means is provided, namely, a fluid pressure operated cylinder 80. The latter includes a piston BI, and a downwardly extending piston rod 82, the lower end of the piston rod being secured to the standard Ii] by being threaded into the top thereof. The arrangement is such that alternate charging and discharging of opposite ends of the cylinder 80 will move said cylinder up and down. Inlet-and-outlet pipes 83, 84 communicating with opposite ends of the pressure chamber of the cylinder 80 furnish the pressure fluid for operating the same. Rising from the top of standard ID, at opposite sides of the cylinder 80, are cylindrical posts 85, 85, the tops of which are connected by a bracket or yoke 85. The cylinder heads at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 are formed with laterally extending apertured ears 81, 81 in which the posts 85 are slidingly received, said posts serving to guide the vertical reciprocatory movement of the cylinder. Resting upon the top of standard l about the lower ends of posts 85 are respective compression springs 88, each of which is surmounted by a cap 89. When the cylinder 85 is in its lowermost position as shown in Fig. 4 the ears 81 of the lower cylinder head are in engagement with the caps 89 and the springs 83 are compressed. The arrangement is such that the springs cushion and slow down the descending movement of the cylinder. Pivotally connected at 92 to a boss on the lower cylinder head are two links 93, 93, said links extending downwardly and having their lower ends pivotally connected at 94, 94 to the respective bag holders 42, 43, relatively near the lower pivoted ends thereof. The arrangement is such that vertical reciprocation of the cylinder 88 will swing the bag holders 42, 43 on their pivots 50, 45 to apply the pressure bag sections 40 to the work l8, and to remove them therefrom.

In the operation of the device, the mold member l3 and the mold element are constantly heated. Assuming the device to be in the open, inoperative condition shown in Fig. 4, the first step is to mount an unvulcanized work-unit [8 upon the periphery of mold element l3, which operation readily is accomplished by reason of the absence of mold element 20, which has been swung away from the front of the vulcanizer, as

For controllingsuch pressure .fiuid, a

is 'suggestediby Fig32 but to a greater extent than shownainisaid figure. ..After1ithe work unitf'rhas been mounted: as described, i the mold element 20 isswung into laterallyabutting relation to the mold e1ement l'3, and clamped firmly into position by means of the clamp nuts 33, the mold element moving axially on-itssupporting'pin i-fi during this operation. The arrangement 'assures 'that th'ere will not be-the'slightest gap-between mold-e1ements'l3,20, and the formation ofwan overflowrand on the work at the junctureof' said elements is obviated.

"Nextft'he'operator performs the act necessary to'efiect" the charging of the upper end of'cylinder 86 while discharging the'lower end thereof, with the result thatthe cylinder rises, and; through the agency of the links "93 conneotedihereto, swings the bag holders "42, 43 upwardly so that theyernbracethe mold elements l3, 29;the pressure bag units' ill being received in the'mol'ding groove of said mold elements. 'Withthe bag holders in elevated position, the free end thereof are adjacent 'eacho'ther'so that the operator may'engaget'he cam'56 in'the cam-receiving surface 53 and thereby manually force the free ends of the bag-holders more closely together. During this operation the sections of the bag holders move slightly relatively of each other against the force of the springs 69. The apparatus now is in the condition shown in Fig. 1. The final operation consists in operating the valve 14, which is effected by means of the handle 11, to admit heated fluid under pressure to the two sections of the pressure bag 40. Such pressure causes distension of the pressure bag, and forces it radially inwardly against the work unit 18, whereby the latter is pressed and compacted against the heated surface of the molding groove in which it is seated. This condition obtains until vulcanization of the work unit is achieved. The operations described are reversed to open the device and remove the finished work therefrom. This completes a cycle of operation, which may be repeated as desired.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the work unit is readily mounted in and removed from the device without requiring to be stretched, whereby a superior product is produced, and economies of time and labor are achieved.

Modification may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a molding device of the character described, the combination of a mold formed with an outwardly open circumferential molding groove in the periphery thereof, a fluid-expansible pressure bag adapted to encircle the mold and so shaped as to extend into said groove to apply heat and pressure to an endless article therein, said bag divided into two semi-circular sections, a pair of semi-circular bag-holders in which the respective bag sections are mounted, said bag holders being pivotally mounted at one of their adjacent ends, and a clamping device for drawing the other ends of the bag-holders together during a molding operation, each of said bag-holders being transversely divided into two sections, which sections are hinged together, including yielding means for urging said sections toward determinate angular relation to each other, whereby the bag therein is flexed out of true semi-circular shape in the inoperative position of the bag-holder.

2. In a molding device of the character described, the combination of a circular mold formed with a radially outwardly facing circumferential molding groove in the peripherythereof, a flexible, fluid-expansible pressure bag adapted to encircle the mold and extend into said groove to apply heat and perssure to an endless article therein, said bag divided into two semi-circular sections, and pivotally mounted bag holders for the respective bag sections, said bag holders comprising hinged segments articulated so that the free end portions thereof may be moved to ultimate operative bag-clamping position after the opposite pivotally mounted end portions thereof have attained ultimate operative bag-clamping position.

3. A molding device of the character described comprising, a mold formed with an endless radially outwardly facing circumferentially extending molding groove in the base thereof, said mold being circumferentially split thereby forming two endless laterally separable sections, rigid sectional means encircling the mold, two semicircular fluid expansible rubber-like curing bags attached 'to and projecting radially inwardly from said rigid means which 'expansible bags are adapted to enter said groove and when subjected to internal pressure and heat to assist in molding and vulcanizing an article in said molding groove, a hinge support for one of said mold sections, the other mold section having a fixed situs.

HOWARD W. HUFF;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 

